Segura's Postseason Opportunity Has Finally Arrived With The Phillies and He's Living in Every Moment of It

After waiting 11 excruciating years to finally reach the postseason, Jean Segura has capitalized on the opportunity.

Big time.

The veteran second baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies just needs four more victories to hoist the World Series trophy.

During this magical playoff run through the St. Louis Cardinals in the Wild Card round, through the Atlanta Braves in the National League Division Series and then through the San Diego Padres in the National League Championship Series, Segura has proven to be a true team leader.

The normally stoic Segura has burst with emotion with some huge defensive plays and clutch hits.

This type of playoff run doesn’t come around every season and Segura knows it.

“Just win baby!,” Segura screamed on the field following a 4-3 win over the Padres in Game 5 of the NLCS on Sunday. “Keep it going! Keep it going! Let’s get it!

Segura broke into Major League Baseball with the Los Angeles Angels in 2012 and continued with stints with the Milwaukee Brewers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Seattle Mariners and then joined the Phillies in 2019.

But his season always ended on the final day of the regular season.

When things have gone awry during the playoffs, Segura has refused to panic. He’ll never be fazed.

If there’s an error or a baserunning blunder or poor at-bat, Segura moves on to the next play.

Pressure? What pressure?

“The way I handle pressure since I was a little kid, I love it,” Segura said. “I'm from the Dominican, play a lot of baseball in the backyard. It's like where I'm from we play way too much baseball, and there was people around like with machete, we bat and then the games.

“It's just the way we handle the pressure in the Dominican Republic. Even when we play winter ball, we've got guys in the stands, hey, when you get out, we're going to kill you. We're going to do something bad to you. It's just the way we play the game out there.

Compared to here, when you come here, dude, it's a completely different type of game. I think the pressure, when you come from DR, it's nothing.”

Segura missed a chunk of time this season with a broken right index finger. When Segura returned, he was ripping baseballs all over the field. It was as if time stood still.

Not many players are capable of finding their timing that quickly.

But Segura was determined to keep pushing with the playoffs in sight. Now he’s not going to stop.

“Working with Jean every day, he’s amazing,” rookie Bryson Stott said. “He makes the game look easy. He’s so good at hitting the ball the other way, moving runners, doing all of the little things that don’t necessarily show up in boxscores. In the field, he’s smooth and has a huge arm. I’ve learned so much from him and I hope we can keep it going through four more wins here.”

Segura dropped a toss from Stott at second base and was later picked off first in the same NLCS game. Both miscues were very uncharacteristic.

But he kept playing. There was no change in his demeanor.

“You have to learn from your mistake, and the way you go about your business when you make a mistake, that's what makes you special,” Segura said. “We're all going to make mistakes. We're human. But don't make it again, or after you make it, the way you go about your business.

“For example, I feel really bad when I make that mistake, but I don't let that bother me. I keep playing the game the right way. I keep hustling. I keep diving for baseballs. That's the way you want to handle the mistake, not let it get to your head.

“Instead of, ‘Coach, I'm here. I'm scared for them to hit it to me. I'm not ready. No, let it go by.’”

Segura has not let this postseason go by. He’s very much in the moment. You can tell. You can see it.

After such a long wait, Segura deserves all of this and more.

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